-
Reagan was elected
President Ronald Reagan was elected as president. -
Reaganomics
President Ronald Reagan rolled out his economic plan coined "Reaganomics". The goal of this plan was to lower taxes on the middle class to stimulate spending and lower taxes on businesses so they can have the incentive to reinvest their money in capital expenditures to grow businesses and stimulate the overall economy. -
The Tylenol Scare
An Individual poisoned bottles of Tylenol in stores. 7 people died as a result of this. Tylenol's sales and market share drastically decreased after this event. -
5.2 New York earthquake
This was a 5.2 magnitude earthquake that hit near Blue Mountain Lake in NY. This caused hundreds of millions of dollars in damage and took the city months to repair. -
Apple Macintosh Commercial
The PC was the first mass-produced Apple computer. This commercial aired during the Superbowl and boosted sales for Apple drastically. -
Live Aid
Live Aid was a dual-venue benefit concert held on Saturday 13 July 1985, and an ongoing music-based fundraising initiative. The original event was organized by Bob Geldof and Midge Ure to raise funds for relief of the ongoing Ethiopian famine. Over 100,000 people attended this concert. -
Challenger Explosion
The Challenger Space Shuttle launched from the Earth January 28, 1986. On board were a teacher and 6 other crew members. The shuttle exploded 73 seconds into its flight, killing all 7 members. Ronald Reagan had to address this issue in front of the nation. This event cost the US 3.2 billion dollars. -
First Episode of The Simpsons
The first “The Simpsons” cartoon short is shown on The Tracey Ullman Show during April. The series aired on the newly launched Fox television network and a total of 48 Simpsons shorts were shown before they were turned into their own series in 1989. -
Ashland Oil Tank Collapse
A four-million gallon tank was used for the first time after being dismantled (from an Ohio location) and rebuilt in Pennsylvania. It was this tank, holding approximately 3.5 million gallons of diesel oil, that failed and collapsed, dumping nearly 1 million gallons of the oil into a storm sewer that leading to the Monongahela River. The company was fined 2.25 million dollars. -
The Execution of Ted Bundy
The state of Florida executed Ted Bundy, a serial killer, and serial rapist. This cost the taxpayer around 5 million dollars.
